Drone Use for Business, Law Enforcement & Farming Increasing Rapidly

An increase across all industries has boosted the drone economy in 2015, if regulations don’t place too much red tape on the market, hopefully we could see 2016 increase the trend.

Daniel Degallier began flying model aircraft at age 10, so as he grew older, it seemed only natural to him that he would make the leap to piloting an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, commonly known as a drone.

Degallier, a UW-Stout senior majoring in business administration, turned his hobby into a business, forming a limited liability company — T-16 Aerials — in April 2014, which provides aerial photography, video and mapping services.

“I think it’s going to become kind of the new Internet in a 3-D world,” said Degallier, who has two drones he uses commercially. “People are finding new markets for them every week.”

In the Chippewa Valley, drones have found a home in a variety of business settings, including agriculture and construction.

“Anywhere you need any sort of information, a drone can capture it,” said Degallier, a Fountain City native.

Market & Johnson, an Eau Claire-based general contracting firm, uses drones to capture video of its projects, including the Altoona school district’s new school, and the Haymarket Landing development and The Lismore hotel in downtown Eau Claire.

“Our customers are not always on site, so we use (UAVs) to communicate what is going on with our projects,” said Matt Faulkner, executive vice president at Market & Johnson, which has two drones that capture video and still photos. “We also have used them to look at buildings.”